The Head of the Viper (La testa della vipera)

----- This is the first in a collection of classic Italian novels in translation. -----
Enter the world of aristocratic nineteenth century Italy, a world of vendettas where there is no limit to how long a man may lurk in the shadows before striking his victim, like a viper.
Emilio Lograve was born into this world with few of the advantages of his class. He was not a handsome or virile man, and his inherited wealth was nearly lost to a rapacious house servant. He had but few personal attributes. What he had, however, he honed to perfection: a patient, cunning mind, a knowledge of medicine and surgery acquired through a university degree, and a steady hand and sharp eye with a dueling pistol. He wanted to love and be loved, but was abused as a child at home, rejected as a youth at school and rebuffed as a man by the woman he longed for. In his evil mind love became obsession and vendetta justice. The happiness of his rival and the woman they both loved was his pain and torment. Meticulously planned and skillfully executed, his plot for revenge would be complete. But even the most scheming mind cannot control the force of destiny, and the best plans can often have unforeseen consequences and go terribly wrong...